


The Moss

by Elfboysnail



Series: Shelter [3]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Dark, Dark Magic, Demons, F/M, Family Loss, Fantasy, Fictional Religion & Theology, Found Family, Human Experimentation, Implied Relationships, Kidnapping, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Character of Color, LGBTQ Themes, LGBTQA, Magic, Magic-Users, Memory Loss, Minor Character Death, Multi, Murder, Mystical Creatures, Original Character(s), Other, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Romance, Valkyrie - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:54:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26945512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elfboysnail/pseuds/Elfboysnail
Summary: After being chased by hooded men, Blair runs to their neighbors, Marlow and Royal, for help. Only to be chased down dark city streets only to be taken in by a skilled mage detective, Indigo, and her husband, Calvin. That night, Blair's world is then turned upside down when they find out they are not all that human. Traveling in secret there the world of magic and magecraft with their close friends with the only goal of survival and to uncover their hidden past.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Original Female Character/Original Male Character, Original Male Character(s)/Original Non-Binary Character(s)
Series: Shelter [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1880284
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter One

Streetlights reflecting off puddles of rain, as a non-binary individual walked down the street. With cream for skin, grass color in their eyes, and a cloud of white and pink for chin-length hair, those are the physical characteristics of Blair King. They were walking home from the night class they had at the college, now eight-thirty. Blair was now walking home, think of what they could make themselves for dinner when they get home to their small apartment.

Although something was off, two people began to follow them.

Blair picked up their pace, and the people follow them did too, which made Blair start running.

"Fuck," Blair sighed as they looked back, seeing the two people were now chasing them.

Blair raced down the sidewalk, trying to get away from the crazed maniacs. They went a hide in an alley allowing the men to chase past, giving Blair the time to race back to their apartment. Blair made it inside and went at lightning speed to fill a travel bag with the essentials. For some reason, they knew they had to get out of the city of Runestone Station, the place they call home. Once packed up, they went to leave, opening the door, they could hear two voices downstairs.

"Where are they!"

"Check all the apartments!"

Blair's body began to shake, although they quietly walked to the apartment right in front of their own and knocked.

A dark skin androgynous man opened the door, soft light blue eyes staring down at Blair, concern falling across his face.

"Hey, Blair wha-"

"I need your help, Marlow!"

"Uhm," Marlow sighed, "get inside."

Blair rushed inside as Marlow shut and locked his front door, "what's wrong?"

"Two random guys chased me on my way home," Blair explained as their body began to shake again, "they are in the building right now!"

"Shit," Marlow sighed, walking to one of the bedroom doors in his apartment, opening the door, "Royal, I need your help."

A tan skin blond-haired male, with the Delta sign burned into his left cheek, poked his head out of the bedroom, "What man?!"

"Blair got chased home. They need our help," Marlow explained.

"Blair, the neighbor, the neighbor you talk about all the time, yet barely ever talk to, Blair," Royal asked.

Marlow's face became flushed, "yes," he muttered.

"Hold on," Royal chuckled, shut the door only to open it fully a few seconds later, "alright, what do I have to do?"

"I don't kn-" Marlow was unable to finish his sentence, as someone began to bang on the front door.

The three of them froze and looked at each other as the banging only continued, "get them out the window," Marlow whispered.

Royal nodded, walking over to Blair, leading them to the window as Marlow answered the door.

"Good evening," Marlow sighed.

"Have you seen a white and pink hair, faired skin individual?"

"No, sir, I don't believe I have."

On the other side of the room, Royal was helping Blair out the window, "I'm too high for this," the blond muttered. Blair hopped out the window and on to the fire escape, with Royal following them, leaving Marlow alone in the apartment.

"Well, thank you, sir," One of the men sighed.

Marlow nodded as he closed the front door before following his neighbor and roommate out the window and down the fire escape.

"What do we do now, Marlow," Royal asked.

Marlow thought about it for a moment, "it's obvious that we can't stay here."

"Where do we go, though," Blair remarked.

Marlow sighed, "let's just leave... we'll find somewhere to go."

Blair and Royal nodded as they began to speed-walk down the sidewalk, and after a few minutes of walking and looking over their shoulders, an expensive car pulled up beside them. The window rolled down, showing a tan-skinned man with dreadlocks and light pink eyes in the driver's seat, and a pale-skinned woman with a scarred face, long turquoise and lavender hair, and abnormal dark blue eyes in the passager seat.

"Blair King," the woman asked in a silk-like voice tinted with a French accent.

Blair looked over at the couple in the car, "Yes?"

"My name is Indigo Alicia Bookstone-Corals I am a Special Operative Detective," the woman replied, "I have been looking for you... for a long time."

"Excuse me," Blair questioned.

"Who are you," Marlow asked, taking a stance in front of Blair.

The man in the driver seat chuckled in a soft tone, "she told you who she was," he remarked.

"I know it's weird and awkward, but please trust me," Indigo chuckled, flashing Blair a kind smile.

"Uhm... guys," Royal sighed, "we have company."

Marlow and Blair looked in the direction that they came from, seeing the same men that had chased Blair home running down the sidewalk.

"Fuck," Indigo sighed, "get in the car!"

"What," Blair, Marlow, and Royal yelled.

"Get in the damn car, I will explain later," Indigo replied.

The three young adults didn't argue with the French woman in the expensive car and got in.

"Well shit," the man in the driver seat sighed, "Angel eyes, we're being followed."

The two men that had followed Blair had sprouted wings and followed the vehicle they were now by air.

"I am way too high for this," Royal muttered.

Indigo rolled down her window, unbuckled her seatbelt, and hung herself out the window, "Indigo," the driver said sternly.

"Calvin," Indigo sighed with a smirk, "I'll be fine, just drive."

Blair watched as Indigo aimed her hands at the flying beast and expelled black and pastel "mist" from her fingertips, which knocked the creatures back and out of the sky. Indigo slide back into her seat, breathing out Black "smoke" as she settled.

"You're reckless, angel," Calvin sighed.

"and," Indigo chuckled, smirking, "you love it."

"Nous venons de nous marier et vous vous pendez à une fenêtre de voiture?! Je ne peux pas te perdre si tôt," Calvin expelled in French.

"You're not going to lose me," Indigo scoffed.

"Uh, Mrs. Corals, what did you just do," Blair asked.

"Magic," Indigo giggled, "I know this doesn't make sense, but I will explain everything, I promise."

"We got to get home first," Calvin added.

"You're taking us to your home," Marlow asked.

"Of course."

"We need to keep Blair safe," Indigo sighed, with a soft smile, eyeing Marlow from the review mirror as he sat between Blair and Royal in the backseat, "don't we."

"Yeah," he remarked.

"Okay, I need the names of you two," Indigo replied.

"Marlow," he sighed.

"Royal," Royal answered.

"Thank you."

A semi-long car ride later, our band of misfits arrived at a grand modern style house, hidden within a wooded area.

"You two live here," Royal gasped, getting out the vehicle.

"Oh yeah," Calvin chuckled.

"Hey, amour, pull the car in the garage," Indigo sighed.

Calvin gave Indigo a nod as Blair, Marlow, and Royal entered the home.

"This is where you will stay, for a while," Indigo said, "we have enough guest rooms ready, so you three have a comfortable place to stay."

Blair, Marlow, and Royal looked around in awe at the gorgeous home they were now standing in. Blair felt something rub against their legs, looking down to see a black cat, with piercing blue eyes staring up that them.

"That's Hecate," Indigo remarked, "Hades is around here somewhere."

A bark came from the top of the stairs, making everyone look at the Great Pyrenees pup.

"I'm guessing that's Hades," Marlow muttered.

"Don't worry," Calvin's voice chuckled from the kitchen archway, "he doesn't bite."

"Okay, I would like to know who you are a why we are here," Royal expelled, "I get you are a detective, and I guess, a mage, but who the hell are you, besides the husband."

Calvin chuckled, "I'm a doctor, Dr. Calvin Bookstone."

Royal, Marlow, and Blair nodded at the "odd" couple, "It would be best if we get settled," Indigo remarked, clasping her hands together, "it would be best for Blair to stay downstairs as long as you are okay with that."

"I'm okay with that," Blair muttered.

Indigo nodded, "looks like I am showing you guys upstairs," Calvin chuckled.

Marlow and Royal nodded as Indigo and Blair traveled downstairs. Blair was led to one of the two guest rooms in the downstairs level of Indigo and Calvin's home. Walls colored with light flowery wallpaper, the floor covered in gray carpet, a full-sized bed against the wall and near the door, as well as other orderly pieces of furniture that you would find in a bedroom.

"Bathroom is through that door," Indigo remarked, pointing to the door, on the right wall near the bed.

"Can you please tell me what's going on," Blair sighed.

Indigo sighed, "sit down," gesturing to the bed.

"You were an expérience humaine... human experiment by a man named Lorelock."

"A human experiment, how do you know this?"

"I knew your mother," Indigo answered.

"My mother... what was she like?!"

"I would think you would have more questions about being a human experiment."

"I-I do, but," Blair trailed off.

"Esma was her name. She was very kind, friendly, and, god, she was just a wonderful woman. I met her when I was sixteen. I'm sorry, I am not that great at describing people," Indigo explained, "she worked at a diner near where I used to labor. I met her while on break one day, and we became fast friends. You were always with her. She adored you."

"If you were sixteen, then I was ten, why don't I remember you," Blair asked, "why don't I remember my mother?"

"I don't know," Indigo sighed, "it may be from all the experiments."

Blair sighed, "do you know why they were doing the experiments on me?"

There was a small pause, "no," Indigo replied, "All I know is that your mother's last wish was to keep you safe, and that is what I intend to do."

"So, she is dead?"

"Sadly."

There was another pause, "could I be left alone," Blair asked.

"Of course," Indigo replied, "if you need anything, Calvin and I's bedroom is on the 3rd floor with the double doors."

"Thank you," Blair said.

Indigo nodded as she shut the bedroom door. Blair flopped back on the bed and only stared at the ceiling, not realizing that tears were rolling down their cheeks. They so broke down in a silent sob, only to feel the weight shift on the bed, a few moments later. Blair opened their eyes seeing Hecate, Indigo's black cat, staring at them with her big blue eyes.

"Did you get stuck in here," they asked, wiping their tears.

Hecate tilted her head as Blair got up and cracked open the door, "do you not want to leave?"

Hecate sat down on the bed as she stared back at Blair, "guess not," they muttered, as they laid back down.

The cat rubbed her fuzzy face on Blair's cheek, almost as a way to comfort them, "thank you, Hecate, you're sweet."

As Blair was falling asleep, Indigo was making her way upstairs, "Mrs. Bookstone," Marlow called.

"I've not heard that before," she muttered, "I like it."

"So do I," Calvin sighed, standing in the main bedroom.

"How do you know, Blair," Marlow asked, "And why were those people chasing them?"

"I knew their mother," Indigo answered, "Blair, used to be a human experiment."

Marlow's eyes widened, "I will explain more tomorrow, to you and Royal," Indigo replied as she walked to her bedroom, "but it's late, and it would be best if we all got some sleep."

Marlow nodded as Indigo and Calvin retreated to their bedroom.

"How much did you tell Blair, Angel eyes," Calvin asked.

"If you are asking if a told them that Lorelock was trying to make them a demon valkyrie, I did not tell them that," Indigo answered with a sigh, "I'm sorry in advance."

Calvin wrapped his arms around her, "there is no need to apologize, I'm always going to be by your side, no matter whatever is to happen."

Indigo smiled, "Although I believe you should tell Blair what Lorelock wanted to do to them," he remarked.

"I know," she sighed, "and I will, just not now... for their safety."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nous venons de nous marier et vous vous pendez à une fenêtre de voiture?! Je ne peux pas te perdre si tôt=We just got married and you are hanging yourself from a car window?! I can't lose you so soon!


	2. Chapter Two

Blair was not waking up to the sounds of singing birds. They were waking up to Hades, the Great Pyrenees pup, licking their face.

"Uh," Blair groaned.

The dog let out a small bark as Blair sat up in their bed.

They remembered the last night, which created a pit in their stomach, "human experiment," they muttered as they stood from the bed. They couldn't dwell on their thoughts as they became distracted by the dog in the doorway. Blair yawned out a smile as she followed the dog leading the way upstairs.

They only stood in the archway, out of politeness, because Indigo and Calvin stood at the stove, Indigo cooking and Calvin doing her hair. They were having a conversation, although, do to the soft and quiet tones of their voices, their words went mostly unheard. Blair had never seen a couple like them before. They seemed so incompatible, but something connected them on a deep level, something that, if explained, Blair would possibly not understand.

It made Blair smile seeing Calvin drop his head to Indigo's shoulder, "are you just going to stand and stare, or are you going to say good morning," Indigo called, causing Blair to jump out of their skin.

"Sorry, good morning," Blair remarked, walking into the kitchen.

"Don't apologize," Calvin yawned, standing up straight.

Blair took a seat at the kitchen island as Calvin exited the kitchen with a sigh, "what's wrong," Blair hesitantly asked.

"He has to go to work," Indigo chuckled.

"Oh," Blair sighed.

"Good morning," Marlow yawned, entering the kitchen, "Mrs. Bookstone, Blair."

"God, what smells good," Royal groaned not too far behind Marlow.

'Right, Marlow and Royal are here as well,' Blair thought.

"Twice baked breakfast potatoes," Indigo answered.

After a few minutes of nothing noteworthy happening, Calvin re-entered the kitchen dressed in work clothes and his dreadlocks tied up.

"Alright," he sighed, fishing for something in the fridge, "I'm going to head to work."

"Okay," Indigo replied as she was now leaning against the counter next to the stove.

"Let me see your hand," he remarked suddenly.

Indigo complied, although the odd request peeked Blair, Royal, and Marlow's interest.

Calvin muttered out an alright and kissed Indigo before walking to the door leading to the garage, "I should be home by..."

"4-o-clock," Indigo questioned.

"5 at the latest," Calvin answered.

"Go save lives."

"Will do, angel eyes."

Silence fell across the four of them as Calvin left.

Marlow finally spoke up, "why did he ask to see your hand?"

Indigo chuckled, moving to stand against the kitchen island, showing the group of three her left hand. A light but present C shaped scar was on her palm.

"Ouch," Royal sighed, "did you get it recently?"

Indigo nodded, "the teddy bear feels guilty."

Royal chuckled, "You two have an odd relationship, don't you?"

"You could say that," Indigo replied, "but that's not important right now."

"so what is important," Blair questioned.

"I thought today..." Indigo started as she pulled plates out of a cabinet, "We would head back to your apartment complex, so you three could get the things you all need."

"What if those things are back," Marlow asked.

"That's why I will be going with you," Indigo answered, "and so I can do a bit of investigating."

The three at the kitchen island let an "mhm," Indigo chuckled at the reaction, "eat," Indigo remarked, "and then, after dressing, we can leave."

After breakfast and getting dressed in mitch match and day-old clothes, They all greeted Indigo in the garage. She was leaning against the car, holding different energy than before as she greeted them with a smile.

"Ready," she asked, showing off pointed canines.

Blair nodded as they all made to the car, "Mrs. Bookstone," Marlow remarked as they began to leave.

"You are a very polite one, aren't you," she laughed.

"I guess," Marlow replied, "can I ask a question?"

"You don't have to ask, but go ahead."

"Are you human," Marlow asked.

Indigo let out a giggle, "what gives you the idea that I am not human?"

There was a moment of silence, "Is it the ears," she posed, "maybe my canine teeth, or possibly the glow of my dark blue eyes, or wait, the energy that is around me, or even perhaps, the form of magic I use."

There was again silence, "no, I am not human," Indigo replied, "I found out recently, to add."

"What are you," Blair questioned, "if not human?"

"Possibly, fae or imp, succubus or ljósálfar," Indigo answered.

"You don't know," Royal asked with a laugh, "isn't there like a test you can have done?"

"It's a waste of time," Indigo sighed, "besides, it's not like a need the answer. I am perfectly quaint with not having an answer."

There was again silence from the backseat, "we have arrived," Indigo said, "I'll look around, and you three can gather your things."

The three of them nodded as they got out of the car and entered the old building as Indigo searched around and questioned the neighbors.

Blair gathered their things from their loft: books, school work, the ancient laptop they owned, more clothes, and toiletries. As Marlow and Royal, across the hall, did the same.

"Knock, knock," Indigo remarked, entering the apartment, "how is it going?"

Marlow stuck his head out of his room, "almost finished."

"Excellente," she sighed, "your neighbors are little help."

"Most of them are like that," Royal muttered, "a lot of drug addicts afraid of the cops."

"I see," Indigo replied.

"So," Marlow sighed as he exited his room, "what's up with Blair?"

Indigo closed the door slightly, "what I say to you both will not leave this room," she sighed, "Blair had experiments performed on them at a young age. Those things chasing you all last night, subjects of the same vein, they have found Blair and wish to take her back to Lorelock, the bastard."

Marlow's eyes began to water, "w-what kind of experiments?"

"I don't know all details, but as far as I know, Lorelock wished to create a creature," Indigo answered.

"Do you know what kind of creature," Marlow asked, his voice cracking.

"I don't know," Indigo sighed, " he could ha-"

A scream from across the hallway interrupted them. The yelling was coming from Blair, which made Indigo, Marlow, and Royal raced across the hall. Seeing Blair held by their throat, by a person that had feminine features, light mixed skin, peach-pink hair touching her shoulders, bandages covering her eyes, and a thin body marked by a red dress.

"Catherine," Indigo sighed.

"It's you," she remarked, tilting her head to the side, "the witch that ruined sweet Lorelock's plans."

"I prefer the term mage," Indigo said through her teeth, "let them go, Catherine."

"Oh, why," Catherine sighed, "why not, let them take their last breath, and then send the body off to Lorelock."

Catherine got in close to Blair's ear, "he would be nice to have his valkyrie... back to test on."

Indigo shot magic at Catherine, causing her to let go of Blair as well as sending her falling backward.

Blair collapsed to the floor in a coughing fit, Marlow and Royal ran to their side. Catherine groaned as she got up. Parts of her body popped and cracked as she did so, "dear god, did he experiment on you too," Indigo scoffed.

"After they left him, he had no choice," Catherine yelled as she charged at Indigo.

Indigo grunted as Catherine thrusted her into the wall, "you're gonna have to rougher than that if you want to hurt me," Indigo scoffed with a smirk, kicking Catherine back, "you are very agile for someone that can't see!"

"Tsk."

Indigo shot more magic at Catherine to keep her distracted as Marlow and Royal helped Blair out of the building. Catherine let out a blood-curdling scream once she saw that Blair was out of the loft apartment and once again charge at Indigo. Which now sent Indigo straight out of and into the adjacent wall in front of Blair's apartment.

"Now that hurt," Indigo coughed.

If someone in the other apartment exited, they would have thought a catfight was going on as Indigo resulted in pulling Catherine's hair and throw her into the wall, to get not only recover a bit of stamina but also get Catherine off of her. Indigo let go of Catherine, running for the stairs that led up to the roof as not to harm the innocent people on the property.

"YOU JUST HAVE TO RUIN EVERYTHING," Catherine screamed as she made it to the roof.

"How the fuck did I ruin anything?!"

"You started investigating when Esma grew soft! You put this idea that what Lorelock was trying to do was wrong into Esma's head! WHICH MADE HER QUESTION HIM! Then when the accident happened... you took the valkyrie away from us!"

"Catherine," Indigo sighed, putting her hands up as Catherine began to walk towards her.

"I can't believe that at one time you had his eye," Catherine scoffed, "he thought your fae trapped body would be perfect to create a savior to humanity, but you proved to be too smart."

"So, what is the plan," Indigo questioned as her lower half pushed against the railing on the roof, "push me off?"

Catherine said nothing as, if she could see, looked out at the horizon, "if you only knew the things he did while not having Blair."

It was like a switch was flipped: the manic and bloodthirsty puppet had changed to someone asking for help.

"He took my sight, Indigo," Catherine muttered as she stepped on to the railing, "if I bring Blair back... do you think he'll give me my sight back?"

"Catherine, don't jump," Indigo remarked.

"What's going to happen when I go back to him," Catherine questioned, "do you think he will go easy on me?"

"Catherine, please," Indigo expelled, trying to reach out to her.

Although it was too late, Catherine had already fallen off the roof and down to the sidewalk. Indigo stared at where Catherine once stood for a few moments before slowly leaving and making her way to her car. "What happened," Royal asked.

"She jumped," Indigo muttered.

"Off the roof?!"

"Yes," Indigo answered, "we have everything, right?"

"Yeah," Royal sighed, looking over at Marlow as he held Blair close to him, trying to aid them with what had happened.

Indigo pulled out her phone, using it to call someone before starting the car and leaving that complex.

"Hello," the person answered.

"Loyal," Indigo sighed, "I know you are not talking to me rig-"

"What's wrong," he asked, sounding concerned.

"I can't explain it, but go to 3657 Estle Street, someone just jumped off the building."

"You didn't push someone off, did you," Loyal awkwardly chuckled.

"No," Indigo sighed, pulling a sad smile at her friend's bad timing.

"You didn't jump, right," he asked, jokingly, but more concerned.

"No," Indigo sadly laughed, "please just go, and don't tell anyone that I called this in."

"Corals," Loyal sighed.

Indigo could tell that he was rubbing his temples on the other end of the phone, "you are going explain all this when you come back in, right," he questioned.

"Of course."

"Indigo," he remarked.

"Quoi?"

"Please don't get hurt," Loyal sighed, "I need my best friend."

"I'll try."

The phone call ended leaving a mostly silent car ride back to Indigo and Calvin's home. Indigo helped Royal unload the car as Marlow sat Blair on the couch, keeping an eye on them as they were still in shock because of the events that happened. Once things were put away, Indigo and Royal joined them in the living room with drinks and turned on the TV trying to fill the silence.

-"breaking now: an anonymous tip has called the Special Operative out to Estle Street as someone, according to the tip, jumped off the apartment building. Although when the team arrived there was nobody, only a husk of skin...uhm... Special Operative Loyal Lemons remarked no comment when asked questions.

As the news coverage changed, the door to the garage slammed, and rushed footsteps followed, "Thank fuck," Calvin expelled, seeing that everyone was safe and sound, for the most part.

He made his way to Indigo, checking her for injuries, "I'm fine, amour, please look at Blair," Indigo remarked, kissing his cheek as a way to calm him.

Calvin did as he was told, "bruising marks on the neck, and clearly in shock," he sighed, "we need to keep an eye on them."

"How would you two like to learn swordsmanship," Indigo posed to Marlow and Royal.

"That's an odd question," Marlow remarked softly.

"Why," Royal questioned.

"To defend yourself, " Indigo answered, "Calvin can even teach you."

"Sounds good to me," Calvin added, "what do you say."

"Sure," Royal chuckled.

"Anything to protect Blair," Marlow sighed.

"Great, we start tomorrow," Calvin expelled.

Miles away, a man with long white hair, pale skin, and dark ram-like horns sat on a throne-like chair with Catherine kneeling at his feet.

"Lorelock, Indigo has the valkyrie," Catherine sighed.

"Does she now," he chuckled, "that's wonderful news."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quoi=What


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry for this chapter taking so fucking long, I've been busy!

Another day waking up, not to the sounds of birds. Although this time, it was not the dog, but the soft sounds of music from a piano. Blair's eyes opened to meet a light cream-colored ceiling. They sat up to see a note on the coffee table, "Follow the sound of calming music, and you'll find me ~ Indigo,” Blair smiled at the cute doodle next to her name. They moved from their place on the couch and followed the sound of music.

They faced an extravagant library with small mystical creatures dancing around while Indigo softly hit the piano keys. Blair was mesmerized by the soft music, calm atmosphere, and beautiful creatures.

"How are you feeling," Indigo posed as she stopped playing.

"Uhm," Blair sighed, shocked that the older woman knew she was there, "okay, I guess."

"Do you remember anything from yesterday?"

They thought for a moment, "I remember, going back home, getting my stuff together, and a strange woman... choking me."

Indigo nodded, turning her whole body to face Blair as she sat on the piano bench, "that is what I suspected," Indigo remarked, "I didn't want to do this, but you need a way to defend yourself."

"Like hand to hand combat," Blair asked.

"I could teach you that," Indigo answered, standing from the piano bench, "but I was thinking magic."

Blair's eyes followed her as she ascended the spiral staircase to enter the loft part of the library, "What do you like more: the warm months, the cold, or the rainy seasons? The way plants grow and decay? Or possibly the way gems and crystals shine within the sun and moonlight," Indigo asked, walking through bookshelves.

"Uhm... I don't know," Blair muttered, "I like crystals, I guess."

"Excellent," Indigo remarked as she grabbed a mat from a closet in the loft, "any questions?"

Blair watched her as she walked down the spiral staircase, "isn't magic hard to learn," they asked.

"It depends on how you look at," Indigo answered, spreading the mat on the library floor.

Indigo sat with legs crossed with Blair soon following, "Now, have you ever meditated?"

Blair nodded, "once or twice."

"This will be similar," Indigo said, placing her hands in her lap, forming a cup, "now I want you to watch me for a moment."

Indigo exhaled a breath, closed her eyes, and before long, crystals formed in her hand.

"Woah," Blair gasped.

Indigo chuckled, "Magic isn't hard," she remarked, opening her eyes. She held up a crystal to the side of her face, which allowed the glow from her eyes to reflect off the clear crystal, "our society wants you to believe that it is hard to learn because mastering the magical realm takes time. I want you to use one type of magic for self-defense. You are not being put on the road to mastery."

"That's not your normal magic," Blair remarked.

"Good eye," Indigo chuckled, making the crystal in her hand disappear before forming a crystal that was black with pastel pixels, "this is a type of magic that only I can use."

Indigo exhaled out black and pastel mixed smoke as the crystal disappeared, "it is a mix of the dark arts and the other types of magic I have mastered. Now, let's begin with you. I'll walk you through it."

Blair nodded, "now, deep breath in," Indigo replied, "deep breath out."

Blair followed the instructions given before Indigo spoke again, "close your eyes and put yourself into a safe space of mind, then begin to think about what you want to manifest."

"Manifest," Blair questioned with closed eyes.

"That, on a basic level, is what magic like this is," Indigo explained, "manifesting a crystal so you can use it in the way that you please."

"Does all magic work like that?"

"No, the only one similar to crystal magic is gem magic, although Earth magic is needed to learn gem magic, just as you need to learn fire to do ash magic and water to do ice magic," Indigo explained, "healing magic is even hard to learn. It takes much study time and patience."

Blair cracked an eye open, "do you know healing magic?"

"No, I don't have the patience," Indigo answered with a laugh, "let’s focus on crystal magic."

"Sorry," they nodded.

"Don't apologize," Indigo remarked, "let's begin the manifesting process!"

"The easiest way to begin this process is to think of possibly finding crystals or observing a collection. You may not form crystals in the beginning, but I will be here the entire time, so don't worry."

And with her words, they sat there for a few hours as Blair slowly formed tiny crystals in their hands, although the crystals would disappear soon after being made. So, more hours went by, and as the sun began to set, Blair formed normal-sized crystals in their hands.

The door to the library slowly opened, which caught Indigo's attention. Calvin stood in the archway and looked like he was going to ask his wife a question, although he stopped when seeing Indigo raise a finger to her lips and wink at him. Calvin got the hint a left the two of them alone.

"You've done great, Blair," Indigo said a few moments later.

Blair opened their eyes and looked down at their hands seeing, the crystals they made, "wow!"

"You have done excellent for a first-timer," Indigo remarked, standing up, "you have even done better than I did."

"Wait really!?"

Indigo nodded, "come on," she remarked, "I think the boys are waiting."

Blair stood up from the mat and followed her out of the library, "Indigo, can I request something," they asked.

"Of course," Indigo answered.

"Could you cut my hair?"

Indigo smiled, turning back to Blair, "want a new style?"

Blair bowed their head, "I remember Catherine grabbing my hair yesterday..."

"I will cut your hair," Indigo replied, "don’t worry."

Blair smiled as they followed Indigo into the living room, "uhm, I wonder what Calvin wanted," she muttered.

Indigo stared out the large windows looking at Calvin and Marlow dueling with long thin swords. 

"It looks almost medieval," Blair gasped, watching alongside their teacher.

Indigo chuckled, "Let me get the stuff I need to cut your hair. "

Blair nodded as Indigo left them alone to watch the swordplay in the backyard before Indigo returned, and they went outside.

Royal was on one of the patio couches while, again, Marlow and Calvin sparred with each other.

"You okay, Royal," Blair asked.

"My body hurts," he groaned, "I haven't felt like this since I had my surgery."

"Come and sit, Blair," Indigo remarked, patting a wooden stool.

Blair did so, allowing Indigo to cut their hair, "Calvin, what did you want," Indigo asked softly.

"To be honest," Calvin grunted, "I just wanted to know where you were hiding... and what we were going to do for dinner."

Indigo giggled, "we could do Vietnamese-style beef with garlic, black pepper & lime."

"That sounds amazing," Royal sighed.

"Sounds perfect," Calvin replied.

"Merveilleuse," Indigo muttered, "tilt your head down, Blair."

Royal and Blair began to chit chat back and forth as Blair was getting a haircut. Royal draped himself around the arm of the couch, bringing up things like college, occupations, music, and other interest. It was nice to learn that he was a college drop-out, but he wanted to be a school-teacher. Learning about his interest in heavy metal music and the other things that he enjoyed was great and made it seem like they were becoming actual friends and not just neighbors from across the hall.

With the sun setting and a nice dinner finished, we enter the late hours where our band of heroes should be asleep, although Blair couldn’t seem to rest. Whether it was the past two days of events, thoughts of the future, or the excitement of a new and bitching shorter hair. The young experiment was having trouble sleeping. So, the only thing to do was to adventure around the Bookstone-Corals home, or at least the main floor, while getting a glass of water.

The expensive modern home was more inviting than it seemed, especially when it came to the people that owned the house. The home photos hanging on the walls in the living room showed Indigo and Calvin smiling alongside their family.

"They seem so different in the pictures, right," Marlow's voice remarked from behind them.

Blair jumped at the sound of his voice and quickly turned around to face him.

"I'm sorry," Marlow muttered, rubbing the back of his neck, "I scared you, didn't I."

"You made me jump," Blair awkwardly chuckled.

"Again, I'm sorry," Marlow sighed, "so you can't sleep either."

Blair nodded, "do you want to talk," Marlow asked, blush dusting his cheeks.

"About?"

"Anything," Marlow answered.

"Alright," Blair sighed, "then can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Why did you help me?"

A pause fell upon them with Marlow, now, looking at Blair with sad eyes, "do I need a better answer, other than I wanted to help a friend?"

"I would like one," Blair responded in a small voice.

Marlow sighed, cupping Blair's cheek, "I care about you, Blair. I have no other answer than that."

Blair was taken back by his touch as Marlow spoke. Once he finished speaking, he removed his hand from their face, feeling that they were uncomfortable.

"I have always enjoyed hanging out with you," he began to explain, "I like to study for finals with you. I am overjoyed when you want to get lunch together. I also have fun talking to you and being around you. So, when you came to me for help, how could I turn you down?!"

Blair was a bit shocked at Marlow's explanation, although before they got a chance to respond, Marlow spoke again, "I-uhm-fuck...Again I'm sorry for scaring you. I am going to go back upstairs, uhm, Goodnight."

Marlow began to rush upstairs, "night," Blair muttered as they heard him sigh out a: "shit," before returning downstairs to try and get some much-needed sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merveilleuse=Wonderful


	4. Chapter Four

Everything seemed peaceful, too peaceful. It had been a week since the whole: being chased by human experiments, to fall into the teachings of an eccentric mage. The environment in the almost hidden home had grown to be more inviting and family-like. Blair enjoyed waking up in the large house, learning magic, and getting to know their friends more.

"Indigo!"

"It's not my fault!"

Our setting is still in the modern home owned by Indigo and Calvin Bookstone-Coral, with the homeowners in the kitchen and Blair, Marlow, and Royal sitting in the living room.

"What's going on," Marlow questioned, unable to get up and investigate as Hades, Calvin's Great Pyrenees pup, had settled himself in Marlow's lap.

"Nothing," Indigo yelled, laughing.

"You are going to destroy our kitchen, Indigo," Calvin yelled.

"I am not!"

Blair was full of curiosity, so they got up from the couch and made their way to the kitchen. Once they entered, they saw, Calvin laughing with his head down on the island as Indigo cooked over the stove, and many small mystical creatures cleaned up a mess on the counter beside her.

"I can't control what the little honey's do," Indigo remarked, poking the face of one of the creatures as it sat on her shoulder as she turned to face the doctor.

"More like little bastards," Calvin muttered. His comment on the creatures only made the one on Indigo's shoulder stick its tongue out at him.

"What are you making," Blair asked.

"Tea cookies and Melon bread," Indigo replied, with a smile.

It seemed odd, to Blair, the quaintness of it all. Spending the past few days learning magic from a talented mage, Marlow, and Royal learning swordsmanship from Calvin, and getting to know each other more. Sitting around a dinner table and hearing about how Royal received the burn scar on his cheek, the many stories of Marlow's large family, and all the tales Indigo and Calvin had about their past. To Blair, it was nicer than living alone in their apartment. Even the tiny mystical creatures that had made themselves home at Indigo and Calvin’s abode had come out of the shadows and warmed up to the new visitors.

It seemed too good to be true.

It was in some capacity too good to be true. The fact that Lorelock could come for Blair, meaning, this family-like atmosphere Blair had found could be taken at any moment.

The training, the dinners, the late-night conversations, all of it could be gone because of a past Blair couldn't remember.

"Blair?"

They snapped out of their thoughts as Calvin spoke their name with much concern.

"Yeah," Blair asked.

Calvin looked at them with extreme worry, "are you okay? You look lost."

"I'm okay," Blair muttered.

"I was just thinking."

Calvin nodded, although he still looked at them with a worried glance.

"Dinner at 5," Indigo posed.

"Sounds great," Calvin remarked.

This atmosphere is one that Blair would not wish to give up. Best for them to enjoy the time while they have the opportunity. So, after a lovely dinner, it was only natural to relax in the living room.

"Mon chéri, since you're up, can you put this glass in the sink," Indigo asked as Calvin came back from taking a shower.

"Of course," he replied, taking the wine glass from her, before kissing her forehead as she sat on the couch.

Once he came back, he placed himself beside Indigo for her to then sit in his lap.

"I say tomorrow we try and combine our efforts," Calvin remarked.

"Combine our efforts," Royal asked, looking over at the couple.

"Combined training," Indigo answered.

"Against each other," Marlow scoffed.

"No," Indigo chuckled, "against the two of us."

"Are we ready to go up against you," Blair posed.

"Yes," Indigo replied.

"Besides," Calvin chuckled, "if we need to, we'll go easy on you."

They all shared a laugh. Although the moment was cut short by the power going out and a loud knock at the front door.

"What the hell," Royal scoffed.

"Blackout," Indigo muttered as a question, getting out of Calvin's lap.

"I got it," Calvin sighed as he began to move to the front door, "yes… holy shit!”

The devil greeted him at his front door! Dawning a bloodstain lab coat, along with a white dress shirt, red vest, and gray dress pants, draped on white skin, with black markings under and above his left eye, both of his eyes a dark evil color, white hair that reached his chest with black tips, and his ram horns protruding from the side of his head.

"Lorelock," Indigo gasped from behind Calvin.

Lorelock smirked, "I'm glad I found the right house," he stepped into the now dark home, "I got a bit worried when the beauty answered the door," there was also a singeing sound coming from his shoes as he entered the house uninvited.

"Although I guess he answered the door for his beast... who has, apparently, blessed her home to keep unwanted intruders out."

He stood tall, possibly 6'8 or 6'9, and laughed before punching Calvin with great force, sending him back into Indigo, flinging them into the window, cracking the glass.

"BLAIR, RUN," Indigo screamed, quickly jumping back on her feet.

"Uhm," Blair murmured as Lorelocked stepped into their view.

"MY VALKYRIE!"

"BLAIR, WE HAVE TO GO!" Royal yelled from the sliding door.

Blair raced to the door, following their friends out to the backyard, "you think I came here without assistance," Lorelock scoffed.

Blair and co. were stopped in their tracks as, surprisingly, Catherine came out of the shadows with multiple people that had obviously been tested on by Lorelock.

"But you jumped off a roof," Marlow expelled, shocked.

Catherine smiled, "I am never going to leave Lorelock side," she remarked as she pulled out long knives.

"Marlow," Royal called.

Royal tossed his friend one of the lancing-swords they trained with, "we have no other choice."

Blair sighed, finding a small moment to focus so they could create enough crystals around the three of them, like shields, "I hope the self-defense training has helped me," they muttered to themselves.

With Indigo and Calvin also surrounded by the same kind of human experiments as Blair. Although Lorelock at the head and in the confines of their own home. Their situation was very similar to the one outside. Calvin wheeled a similar sword to the one Marlow and Royal were fighting with, and Indigo actively prepared to use magic. Although, unlike the battle outside, they stood still.

"Calvin, I'm sorry."

A small chuckled left his lips, "for what?! getting me into another mess, I quiet like your messes."

"I have a feeling we are going to die," Indigo remarked, watching some of the unfortunate experiments get closer to them.

"Oh, don't think like that," Calvin spoke softly, "but if so, my death, would be alongside you, so I am not complaining."

The couple's remarks made Lorelock scoff while his army of experiments attacked for him.

Both battles raged on, with equal parts of chaos and destruction. One that had experienced fighters that worked in tandem as they had done before. While the other had inexperienced warriors, partly struggling to hold their own. This struggle for Blair, Marlow, and Royal left them more focused on the action in front of them than each other: leaving an opening for the mad scientist, Lorelock, to attack Marlow and Royal. He came up behind them both, almost silently, and injected them with a serum that left the boys unconscious a few moments later. Then Lorelock turned his attention to "his Valkyrie." Making all was his pawns halt their abuse, he grabbed Blair, spun them around, and grabbed their face so they would look at him.

"It's been nine years," Lorelock mused, "nine years of searching, and I have finally found my Valkyrie!"

Blair looked up at him, scared and confused, making Lorelock chuckled, "the witch didn't tell you?!"

Blair still looked that him with the same scared and confused look, "that "helpful teacher," is the one who stole your memories my savior."

Blair's eyes widened, which made Lorelock laugh. That can't be! Indigo has been nothing but kind and loving to them. How could she be involved in Blair's clouded past in a wicked way? More importantly, how could she be the one who made their history clouded?

"She couldn't," Blair muttered, watching Indigo and Calvin fall to the ground of their home, possibly injected with something similar, like Marlow and Royal.

"Oh, she did," Lorelock said, walking circles around Blair after waving his minions away. He stopped walking around them and gripped their shoulders, allowing his long nails to dig into their skin, "if you don't believe me, why don't we ask your proud teacher."

Once Lorelock let Blair go, they walked into the home, stepping over broken glass and busted photographs.

"What did you do, you fucking bastard," Indigo hissed at Lorelock, for not only being paralyzed on the ground, but for the upset look on Blair's face.

"Did you take my memories away," Blair asked with a choked voice.

Indigo froze, more than she already was, "yes," she sighed, "but let me ex-"

"How could you!"

"Blair, let me explain," Indigo replied, sadly, watching the tears fall from Blair's cheeks.

"I don't think you can," Lorelock chuckled.

"What was the plan," Blair asked, "you kept the fact that you took my memories?! WHY!"

"I thought it would be better if-"

"YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BETTER," Blair screamed, "DID YOU PUT ME IN A FOSTER HOME. I MEAN, YOU HAD TO BE THE ONE WHO DID! MY MOM IS DEAD, RIGHT!"

"Yes," Indigo muttered.

"INDIGO, I TRUSTED YOU!"

"Blair, for the love of Christ! I need to explain my actions. I was 16! You must understand. I couldn't do a lot! I thought hiding your memories from you would be the best option," Indigo expelled, "I didn't think it would hide the memories of your mother!"

"WELL, THEY DID! YOU PROABLY KNOW HOW MY MOM DIED, DON'T YOU!"

"Blair," Indigo muttered, tears forming in her own eyes.

"You know," Lorelock sighed, walking over to Blair, "I can help you get your memories back. There are ways to get them back that don't involve her."

"Really," Blair asked, looking at him with tear covered eyes.

"Of course," Lorelock sighed with a smile, "you just have to come with me."

Lorelock stuck out a hand to Blair, which they took, "Blair, please, I can explain more, just don't go with him, please," Indigo yelled.

"Oh, little witch," Lorelock chuckled as Blair walked out of the front door with Catherine, "I think you have lost them again."


	5. Chapter Five

Our act begins in an alleyway, with a peach skinned sixteen-year-old stood, clearly on his break as he was enjoying the mint flavor pods in his vape. Although he wasn't alone, his long, pink, and lavender hair being combed through by the thin fingers of a fared skin of a French sixteen-year-old female, who sat on the broken fire escape.

"Loyal," the female atop the fire escape remarked.

"yeah," the person below her replied.

The teen pulled his head back, allowing him to not only look at her but from his head to be in her lap. Loyal got another chance to stare at her: deep dark blue eyes that held a slight glow, clear face, and chin-length Turquoise and lavender hair.

"What is the flavor today," she asked.

Loyal blew his smoke in her face and stood up straight, " Really, Indigo," he sighed, "all of that just to find out that I put Mint juice in my pen!"

Indigo chuckled, moving her legs: so, they didn't dangle off the fire escape, "oh come on, you like looking at me."

Loyal pouted, running his fingers through his hair, "that's not the point..."

Indigo chuckled, draping her hands over her knee to rest her head, "yeah, sure."

Before Loyal could speak, the door to the building next door opened and gave way to a peach skinned waitress. She had pink hair, tied neatly in a bun, light green eyes, and of course, dawning her waitress uniform.

"Hey Esma," Indigo remarked.

The woman smiled, "hello."

"You okay," Loyal asked as Esma leaned against the wall of her workplace.

"Just tired," she replied.

"How's Blair," Indigo asked.

"Good," Esma answered, "they are enjoying school."

"Merveilleuse," Indigo replied, with a concerned look on her face.

"I'm going inside," Loyal muttered, reentering his workplace.

Once Loyal left the alleyway, Indigo jumped down from the fire escape and stared at Esma, "what's wrong," Indigo asked.

Esma, a quiet waitress, stared at the intelligent teen. It was hard to hide things from this kid. She sighed, "again, I'm just tired."

Indigo narrowed her eyes at the woman in her late twenties, "alright," Indigo sighed, "I won't press it."

"Momma!"

Esma and Indigo both turned to the head of the alleyway seeing the 10-year-old small child, with pink hair, light green eyes, and pale skin ran to Esma.

"Blair," Esma expelled, as the babe hugged her waist, "what are you doing out of school so early?"

"The school called," a deep voice replied, which made Indigo shiver, "mold in the old walls, bad for the children."

The deep voice came from a man, or a demon, posing as a man. He stood in front of Esma as she hugged her child. Wearing a turtleneck, dress pants, and a clean lab coat atop white skin, with long gray hair in a low ponytail as ram horns, came from the sides of his skull.

"Good thing I put you on their emergency contacts," Esma commented.

"Lorelock," Indigo remarked.

"Corals," he nodded.

"Hey, momma, guess what," Blair beamed.

"What sweetheart?"

"I passed my spelling test!"

"Mervellesuse."

"That's great," Esma beamed, matching her child's energy, "Indigo helped you, didn't she?!"

"Yeah," Blair said, looking at Indigo, "thank you!"

"No problem, bulle," she replied.

"Momma, could we go to that one place fo-" Blair bounced as they said their sentence. Although halfway through, they stopped hopping and speaking internally.

"Blair," Esma questioned, "what's wrong?"

"Dizzy," Blair mumbled.

"Dizzy," Indigo muttered, as a questioned, "again?"

"Maybe it was the mold in the school," Lorelock replied, "best we take them home, so they can rest."

Esma nodded with a frown, "good idea."

Esma walked back into the diner she worked at before coming back into the alley, waving to Indigo, and following Lorelock, with Blair in his arms, to his car.

They left the French teen in the alley with her narrowed eyes. Indigo was concerned, not only for Blair but for Esma. Indigo got nasty vibes from Lorelock and it was not because he was a demon. Although Indigo kept her comments to herself, Esma was happy, or at least she seemed happy with the devil, so Indigo's bad vibes could be her own biases. Indigo sighed and went inside to her workplace.

So, we join the quiet Esma and Lorelock, at the lady’s apartment where Blair laid in their bed, with a cold cloth over their forehead while watching a cartoon. Esma left the door cracked as she walked from Blair’s bedroom to the kitchen where Lorelock had placed himself.

“What could have caused this,” she sighed, rubbing her hands on her face.

“Darling, don’t stress it was probably the mold in that building you humans call a school, I’m sure they will be fine in a few days,” Lorelock responded.

Esma shook her head, “But this has been happening more and more, Orpheus, maybe we should take them to a doctor.”

“Esma, darling,” Lorelock sighed, placing his hands in hers, “I’m a doctor, they're fine.”  
“You’re a scientist.”

“Same thing,” Lorelock scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Esma released her hands, from his, “Orpheus, they are not the same thing,” she sighed, “I think you should leave.”

Lorelock sighed, “alright, have a nice evening, darling.”

He left for the front door and swiftly left. Making Esma sigh, she never made Lorelock leave her home before. Esma was kind, never forceful, but now… now was different. This was her child, more importantly, her child wasn’t well. Esma made her own decisions, she grabbed her purse, picked up her child out of their bed, and made her way to the hospital.

After hours of waiting, a doctor finally examined Blair, “miss, has your child received shots recently?”

Esma looked at him confused, “No, why?”

“Blair has these small scars on their arm, see,” the doctor explained.

Esma stood in shock, “has your child seen any other doctors recently?”

“I mean, my boyfriend is a scientist, but he would never do that,” Esma answered.

“This is concerning, but I doubt it is anything to stress over,” the doctor shrugged, “take your child home to rest, once we get the tests back, we’ll call you.”

All Esma could was nod as the doctor allowed her to leave the hospital, once she walked home, she put Blair to rest back in their room, and paced around her apartment.

“I-Indigo will know what to do,” she remarked, grabbing her cell phone.

“Esma?”  
“Indigo, what are your thoughts on Lorelock,” Esma shakily asked the teen.

“Esma, what’s wrong,” Indigo asked on the other end of the phone.

“I-I-I,” Esma stuttered out, “I think Lorelock is doing something to Blair.”  
“Excuse me,” Indigo gasped.

“C-c-can you please come over,” Esma asked.

“Yes, of course,” Indigo responded, “just give me a minute to get dressed.”

Esma hung up the phone, leaving her with her thoughts, whereas Indigo was rushing to find clothes, so she could comfort a friend.

“Loyal,” Indigo sighed, “What do you think is going on?”

“It’s hard to say,” he called from the living room, “maybe he isn’t treating her right, Esma is a private person, I doubt she would tell us if something was wrong.”

“Yeah,” Indigo replied, with her hands behind her head, “but if Lorelock was… harming her, she would tell us… right?”

“Who is to say,” Loyal said, hearing Indigo rummage around for clothes, “personally, I wouldn’t think she would call us with her problems.”

“Well, she has,” Indigo scoffed, grabbing her keys, “I’ll be back, uhm, before midnight.”  
“If not,” Loyal remarked.

“I’ll text you,” Indigo replied heading for the door, “if something goes wrong… I’ll call you.”

“I’ll pray for you.”

Indigo scoffed once again as she left her shared apartment, “none of that now.”

Before Indigo could knock on the door to Esma’s apartment it swung open, revealing Esma holding Blair in her arms, “Indigo, I need you to take me somewhere!”

“Woah, woah, Esma, chill, tell me what’s going on, please!”

“I will explain everything in the car!”  
Indigo rushed to follow the woman to the car, only to get a dark explanation of Esma’s sudden erratic behavior, “so, you’re saying Lorelock is doing something to Blair!?”

“Yes, turn here,” Esma answered.

“So, what are you going to do, and where am I taking you?”

“I am going to confront him,” Esma sighed.

“This isn’t a good idea,” Indigo remarked.

“I don’t care, take a left,” Esma replied, loudly, “this is my child, who knows maybe he’s poisoning them!”  
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Indigo muttered, “besides if that were true it would have taken few injections.”

“Right here!”

Indigo pulled into the parking lot of an ancient funeral home-like building that sat on the edge of the city of Runestone Station. The building, almost hidden, by vegetation, sitting on a broken parking lot, and the building devoid of windows as well as being covered in thick moss.

“Esma, let me g-“

“NO,” Esma yelled, getting out of the car, “just please stay here with Blair.”  
“Be careful!”

We have now entered the climax of our story, with the sounds of heeled flats clicking on hardwood floor. Esma had been to this funeral home before, it was Lorelock’s little laboratory. So, she knew where to find the devil.

“Lorelock,” Esma shouted, entering the chapel of the funeral home that housed his lab.

The usage of that name, and not his real name, not Orpheus, shocked the demon that posed as a normal human being “darling, what a surprise,” he said, turning away from his work.

“What have you been doing to my child?!”

Lorelock twitched, “what are you talking about?”

“You have injected my child with something multiple times, what is it and what are you doing,” Esma yelled.

Lorelock sighed holding his forehead, “I wished for you not to find out like this, darling.”  
“Find out what,” Esma posed.

“I am…” Lorelock began, as Esma looked at him with an angry face that could turn any human man into stone, “I’m making Blair my magnum opus!”

“Making your magnum opus?!”  
“I want to make a savior for this world,” Lorelock beamed, “we have talked about this, darling, this world is a hell, and I am from hell! We need a savior, someone to clean this city- this world.”

“Lorelock…”

“Esma, if I make Blair my Valkyrie-“  
“Your Valkyrie?!”

Lorelock shook his head, “if I do this I – we – could clean this world, I have thought it all out, like a game of chess, that… that I would be the God of.”

“God,” Esma scoffed, backing away from Lorelock as he rambled out his plans, he had stepped closer to her, “you want to use my child to become God?!”

Lorelock sighed, “again I thought this all out, it will work! A-a-a-and we could do it together!”

“You want to play god by “cleansing the world,” the world that you have called home for over ninety years,” Esma expelled, yelling, “let me remind you God does not play chess-”

“Then what does God play, Esma,” Lorelock interrupted loudly, “You seem to be a religious woman all of the sudden, SO WHAT DOES GOD PLAY?!”  
“HE GAMBLES, ORPHEUS,” Esma screamed.  
“Esma,” Lorelock sighed.

Esma laughed, “You don’t know how to gamble, you are just an intelligent man that knows how to play chess, you’re more of a devil than an Angel.”

“Don’t call me a devil!”

“You are far from God,” Esma sighed, “if it was obvious, we’re do-”

Lorelock grabbed her by the throat and slammed her up against the wall, “Esma, I can’t let you leave now,” he cooed, petting her face, “You wouldn’t let your dear Orpheus let go of his dreams, would you?”

“Or…phe…us,” Esma choked out.

“And I can’t let you leave and take my Valkyrie away, and tell that French amalgamation, what I’ve been doing,” He sighed breathily, “that witch would have my head.”

“Ple…ase!”

“At least you’ll finally be with your dear husband, again,” Lorelock remarked, as he pointed his claw-shaped fingers at her stomach.

It had almost been an hour since Indigo watched Esma walk into the old funeral home. The concerned teen quietly got out of the car as not to disturb Blair. Who seemed to be asleep in the backseat. It was too quiet when Indigo walked inside, Esma was fuming when they arrived, Indigo should hear yelling and screaming. Although, when coming upon the first chapel, she saw it.

The dead body of her oldest friend. Cover in stab wounds and blood.

Indigo froze, she knew that Esma was already dead, there was so much blood, she couldn’t be alive.

The terrified child was pulled out of her freeze when she heard Esma cell phone ring, which had been tossed across the large room. Indigo picked up enough courage to pick it up off the ground, although by the time she did it stopped ringing.

It was the hospital: “Mrs. King, I understand that it is late, but we would like for you to come in, as soon as possible…”

Whatever the doctor said after that Indigo didn’t process, “the hospital,” she muttered, “right.” Indigo stood to leave, walking almost like a zombie as she went toward the exit.

“Indigo?”

Indigo eye widened as she walked down the hall to the entrance, Blair stood there like a lost, tired, child, “where’s momma.”  
“Momma… Momma’s… at the hospital,” Indigo remarked fumbling with her words, “that’s where we need to go, here I’ll carry you to the car you must be tired, it’s late.”

Blair nodded rubbing their eyes as Indigo picked them and took them to the hospital. Granted when they arrived, Indigo wasn’t told much, because she wasn’t Esma. Of course, Indigo would tell the doctors that Esma died, which caused problems of their own with the doctors given that Indigo was not an adult, and in her current state she didn’t sound like a competent person. Once Indigo had a moment, she stepped outside to “catch her breath.”

And all she did was scream!

She screamed, she cried, she shook, she broke, and after weighing her options, as well as telling Loyal: She came to a decision.

Indigo would use black magic to take Blair’s memories of Lorelock!

The 16-year-old went into the child’s hospital room, recited some ancient spell that would make her magus teacher rage, and watched as the roots of Blair’s hair turned white to symbolize that the spell worked.

“I am sorry, Blair,” Indigo cried, at the side of the child’s bed, “I have no other choice!”

Those are the last words the Coral’s teenager ever said to that small child. The spell that she had used worked too well, for whatever reason Blair could not remember anyone she had known before the of age 10.

Which leaves us with Blair in the present day, once again strapped to an examination table in an ancient funeral home covered in moss, being injected with whatever would make them into Lorelock’s dear Valkyrie. With each injection, Blair remembered little by little. Both good and bad memories!


	6. Chapter Six

Marlow woke up to a cream-colored ceiling hearing the distant voices of Indigo, Calvin, and Royal.

“We’ll have to replace these.”

“Just the frames, not the pictures, amour.”

The androgynous man rubbed his hand across his face before remembering what happened, which made him jump up and run to the kitchen.

“Marlow,” Royal remarked, concerned.

“Where’s Blair?!”

Calvin sighed, “they were kidnapped.”

“Is that what we are calling it,” Indigo muttered.

“Kidnapped,” Marlow remarked, loudly.

“Marlow,” Royal sighed, putting his hands up in defense.

“I’m trying to find them,” Indigo replied, her attention only focused on the small laptop in front of her as she stood at the kitchen counter, “I just need a few min-”

“How could you let this happen,” Marlow yelled.

Indigo scoffed, “I don’t need a cowardly boy telling me what I’ve done is wrong,” she remarked, “I am well aware of my failures, and at the moment, I am trying to make good on them.”

“You let them be taken!”  
“And you have been running circles around your own feelings,” Indigo replied.

“YOU…”

“You,” Indigo sighed, her piercing dark blue eyes, staring at the 20-year-old man, almost on the verge of tears.

“WAS IT ALL A LIE!? HELPING THEM, TEACHING THEM, BEFRIENDING THEM, PROTECTING THEM,” Marlow screamed as Royal held him back, “WAS IT ALL A LIE SO LORELOCK COULD-”

“THAT IS ENOUGH,” Indigo screamed, “If there is one thing I don’t like, it is being screamed at, especially for things I can’t control.”

Marlow sighed with clenched fists as Calvin did the same while standing beside Indigo with his fist clenched on top of the countertop, “Marlow, I didn’t want Lorelock to kidnap Blair, I never even thought he would find my home. Although I’m trying to find them and I’m doing it as quickly as I possibly can,” Indigo explained.  
“Then tell me, why Lorelock would want Blair,” Marlow posed, “you never told us what Lorelock was doing to Blair, only that they were a human experiment.”

“He was making his magnum opus,” Indigo muttered, turning her attention back to her laptop.

“Magnum opus,” Royal questioned.

“Lorelock was making a demon Valkyrie,” Calvin began to explain, “He wished to have a person of “judgment,” to change the “living nightmare” on this plane of existence. He found that Blair was a suitable subject to do just what he wanted… he wanted to become god.”

“How do you know this,” Royal posed, “you’re nothing but a doctor.”

“The pillow talk that I have with my wife is most intriguing,” Calvin commented with a smirk.

“Chérie, no jokes right now,” Indigo muttered, “give me a few moments, and I will find them I swear.”

“I have a feeling that I should not trust you,” Marlow scoffed.

“But you will,” Indigo remarked, “You care for Blair too much to leave them behind, just like you jumped to help them when they came to you from across the hall.”

Marlow blinked, “you’re easy to read, Marlow,” Calvin chuckled at the man’s shocked expression, “I suggest grabbing swords and changing clothes, I have a feeling that we’ll be leaving soon.”

Marlow and Royal nodded, leaving Indigo and Calvin alone for the moment.

“I should call Loyal,” Indigo muttered.

Calvin nodded, “could Lorelock still be working in the funeral home?”  
“It’s possible,” Indigo stopped typing and looked at him, “but half of the building was demolished, I wouldn’t think it would be a nice place to work.”

Although Lorelock was working within the broken walls of the funeral home where loud screams mixed with cries for help rang out, “darling,” Lorelock sighed, “that’s not going to help you.”

“My greatest achievement,” he sighed, walking away from the examination table he placed Blair on, “and in record time too.”

Blair continued to cry, curling up in a fetal position before Lorelock returned to the examination table, pulled them from the position, and injected them once more.

“Now all I have to do is wait,” Lorelock sighed, leaving his “lab.”

Blair was left to cry and scream as their body changed, leaving way for long demon horns to sprout from their head, their teeth became sharper and longer, sharper fingers and nails, along with demon wings protruding from their back. They were taken over by whatever evil force that had consumed their bloodstream leading them to fly through the doors to the chapel trying to find the assailants that cause them so much pain.

Outside the group left behind, finally, stepped onto the property, of the crumbling building covered in moss. Indigo walked through the shadows to get close to the funeral home, then used magic to put the experiments guarding the entrance out of their misery, before swiftly kicking the French doors in.

“Our plan is simple,” Indigo remarked.

“Find Blair,” Marlow replied.

“Catch Lorelock and Catherine,” Indigo added, “then wait for Loyal and the authorities to get here.”

“How long is that going to take,” Royal remarked, “because we have company!”

“Alright,” Calvin sighed, “minor setback! I’ll stay behind, GO!”

Indigo shook her head and said, “stay alive,”

“Of course, Angel eyes,” Calvin replied, before being swarmed with broken experiments as his wife followed Marlow and Royal, who ran down the long hallways, that led to more demolished parts of the large building.

“We should have run into Catherine by now, right,” Royal huffed.

Before Marlow or Indigo could answer, they all came across a demon-like creature feasting on someone.

“Lo..re…lock,” Catherine choked out, almost inaudible compared to the horrible eating and mouth sounds the creature was making.

“Catherine,” Indigo muttered, placing her hand over her mouth.

“That can’t be,” Marlow gasped, “Blair?!”

The creature turned, revealing itself to be Blair, although before Marlow could get close, Blair flew deeper into the broken building. Which made Marlow, Royal, and Indigo chase after them. Although the three of them didn’t get far as knives were thrown at them.

They all turned and watched Catherine, with a large stomach wound struggle to get up, “You… you’re… n-n-not go-going ANYWHERE,” she shrieked, as she stood. Of course, she had many wounds to add to the one in her middle, and with the bandages off her eyes, her sliced eyes were on show.

“How is she not dead yet,” Royal yelled.

“I have no fucking clue,” Indigo replied, “Marlow, go find Blair!”  
Marlow nodded, running down the long hallway. Leaving Royal and Indigo with what seemed like an unkillable beast.

“You go for the heart,” Indigo ordered, “I’ll go for the head!”

Royal let out a sound of agreement, before charging at Catherine and plunging his sword into her chest, and after he let go of the sword, Indigo used a crumbled, caved in wall as a platform to kick her face in, at the side, before lighting Catherine’s head on fire.

Now we turn to our main event, Lorelock standing atop the tallest piece of the smashed building, letting his wings be free as he felt Blair’s presence approach the area, he was in.

“Ơ̷̫̙͚͚̠̿R̴̟̹͎̤͍͖̿̉͋P̷̧̨̺̭͚͇͒̑̅͑͋̅̈͝H̸̲̉̄̉̓̏̕͠E̸̘͚̮͊U̵̗͇̱̭͑̏͐̕͘ͅS̴̟̰̖̥̳̊̽̐̓̀̐̈́!”

Lorelock visibly jumped at the use of his real name, that he hadn’t heard in years, but also to hear it from a dark, deep, and contorted voice that wasn’t anything like darling Esma’s.

“I see you have your memories back,” he coughed, flowing above Blair as they growled and snarled.

Blair screamed flying into him, shoving him through bricks and in trees, and trying to attack his crucial bodily points, with some success. Blair’s manic attacks did slow Lorelock down. Their battle was mostly the two of them pushing each other against piles of bricks, trees, and other broken objects, with the added flare of Lorelock tossing Blair into the air.

“It appears that I have failed,” Lorelock screamed as Blair fell to the ground, “I waited 10 years to have you back, and then here we are! My creation, attacking me!”

Lorelock held his stomach as Blair struggled to stand, both of them were losing stamina, “I guess I have to go back to the drawing board,” Lorelock lamented, “which means I have to kill the last of the King bloodline!”  
Blair screamed at the reference of their mother, before charging at Lorelock and tackling him to the ground, grabbing him by the throat and choking him.

“Blair,” Blair whipped their head up seeing Marlow standing aside from the wreckage, looking terrified, which made Blair stop in their tracks.

The horns, long teeth, sharp nails, and wings retracted. As Blair looked down at a now unconscious Lorelock, and soon tears rolled down their face.

“What have I done,” they cried hoarsely, “OH GOD WHAT HAVE I DONE!”

Marlow rushed to their side and helped them move away from Lorelock, “you have done nothing wrong,” he cooed, falling to the ground with them. Blair cried in Marlow’s arms on the murky ground, as Indigo and Royal came across them and Lorelock.

“Thank god,” Indigo sighed, falling to her knees.

Within the next few minutes, the medium-sized Special Operatives unit came to the site and took charge. With Indigo’s oldest friend, Loyal leading the charge.

As Lorelock was taken into custody, Blair was taken to the hospital with Marlow and Royal by their side, leaving Indigo, Calvin, and the Special Operative’s to clean up the mess.

Calvin held Indigo tightly upon seeing her again, “we are in need of a vacation,” Indigo sighed.

“You two need more than a vacation,” Loyal remarked, from behind her.

Indigo released Calvin and turned to hug Loyal, “thank you so much,” she muttered to the 25-year-old.

Loyal chuckled, “I’m doing my job,” he replied, “please, go home, it’s almost dawn.”

“But-”

“Indigo, go home, Cyan, Pascal, and I have this under control,” Loyal interrupted.

Indigo was left to nod and follow Calvin off the ground of the funeral home, to return home, and of course, the first thing they did was call the hospital. Calvin being a doctor has its advantages! His phone called alerted him that Blair had no life-threatening injuries, which is more than a blessing from whatever gods exist. Blair could go home tomorrow and would have to take some pills for an undetermined about of time to get rid of the chemicals injected into them. So, the prescription was pills and relaxation for the healing process.

Once Calvin hung up the phone, he looked at Indigo with a soft and tired gaze. A sign to fall into his arms, collapse to the floor, and uncontrollably sob. A decade of work for one holy moment!

Lorelock in handcuffs and Blair completely safe!


	7. Chapter Seven

The tension could be cut with a knife along with the sound of heels clicking on tile floor. Indigo followed many individuals, dawning three-piece suits down a long, windowless hallway, only to lead to a metal door. That needed a handful of the suited individuals entering passwords to enter. Indigo and the individuals entered a large observation room looking down at the now defeated Lorelock, who sat in a large empty white room with nothing but a metal bed in one of the corners, and a chessboard in front of him.

“Is he stable,” Indigo asked.

One of the few soldiers laughed, “he is done throwing his tantrum if that is what you’re asking, Mrs. Corals.”

Indigo rolled her eyes, “I’m going down there,” she stated.

“Alright.”

Indigo was led down a flight of stairs to the only door to Lorelock, “you get five minutes,” she was informed, “keep your distance.”

Indigo nodded as she walked into the large room, “Corals,” Lorelock sighed, shifting his eyes from his chessboard to Indigo.

“Lorelock,” Indigo replied.

He was disheveled, his hair matted, tangled, and gray. His skin the deepest color of ash instead of the lightest of porcelain, and he wore old nurse scrubs for clothes.

“Why are you here,” Lorelock remarked, “to gloat?”

“I could gloat,” Indigo remarked, “putting you in handcuffs is the Special Operative Unit’s greatest achievement.”

“And why is that,” Lorelock asked, narrowing his eyes at her. She clasped her hands behind her back as she began to walk circles around him.

“You are the first creature to ever do human experiments on the people of Runestone Station,” Indigo explained, “Even when you killed… Esma, We had access to a river of your studies, experiments, and other documents, but you had availed our grasp. Every government agency knew of you and searched for you!”

Lorelock smirked, “but,” Indigo stated, “the Special Operatives’ put you in handcuffs, no other government organization, it was the masterful skill of the team, I head!”

“So, you take all the credit for my arrest,” Lorelock asked.

“No,” Indigo answered, “but I do get the glory of knowing you will rot in this room, and my team is the one that put you here.”

“You’ll die long before I begin to rot,” Lorelock sighed.

“But you will still be here.”

“I could escape,” Lorelock scoffed.

“In fact, you cannot,” Indigo replied, placing a hand on her hip.

“Explain,” he ordered.

She rubbed her scarred cheek with her free hand, “you are 12-feet below a government facility that is locked by coded doors, guarded by the military’s most trustworthy soldiers,” Indigo began, “and if somehow, you make it out of this room and to the world up above, you will never make it out of Seito Kingdom.”

Lorelock narrowed his eyes at her, “you’re never getting off this island,” Indigo laughed with a smirk.

“I could get off this shit of a rock if I tried,” Lorelock remarked with anger.

“Where will you go,” Indigo replied, sarcastically, “back to hell? Is dear old daddy going to let you back in?!”

“I WILL ESCAPE,” Lorelock screamed, knocking over the chessboard in front of him over, pulling at the cuffs and chains that held him low to the floor, “I WILL GET OUT OF THIS ROOM, AND THEN I WILL KILL YOU AND WHATEVER FAMILY YOU HAVE!”

Indigo was unfazed by his comment, knowing that his words were empty, “Mrs. Corals,” a voice called from the door, “Your time is up.”  
Indigo nodded, “thank you, Lorelock, for giving me a pay raise,” before leaving. The mage soon returned home to fall into her bed to be consumed by sleep that she needed from being up before the sun was.

Although around six hours later Blair opened their eyes, feeling more well-rested than they had in the past week. They soon stepped out of their room, in the Bookstone-Corals basement, and searched for Indigo. Even though the house was large it wasn’t hard to find their teacher, who was sitting on their back patio, possibly enjoying the early morning with a beverage.

“Indigo,” Blair questioned as they slid open the back door.

“Blair,” Indigo chirped, with a smile, “you look well.”

“Yeah,” they replied, rubbing the back of their neck, “I feel great, physically.”

“You slept for two days,” Indigo chuckled.

“Two days?!”

Indigo nodded, leaving them in awkward silence, “how are you… mentally,” Indigo asked after a few minutes.

“I… why… you…” Blair struggled to find their own words.

“Why did I do what I did,” Indigo posed, earning a nod from Blair before Indigo sighed, “I was 16, and I get it, that isn’t a valid reason to hide your memories and put you in a foster home, but at the core of the issue, that’s the answer: I was only 16.”

Blair frowned as Indigo continued, “Your mother told me to keep you safe if anything happened to her, granted she probably wanted me to take care of you and not put you in a foster home, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to take care of you as your mother wanted or how she did. So I made sure you were in a good foster home and that you had everything that you would ever need.”

“You were the one sending me money,” Blair questioned, thinking back to the days when the caretakers in the orphanage would give them unmarked mail that had money in them.

Indigo nodded, “As for the hiding your memories, the only explanation I have is, I thought it would be better for you.”

“Were you ever going to tell me,” Blair asked.

“Yes,” Indigo answered, “granted I was going to tell you slowly, and explain my actions, but Lorelock killed my clock on that.”

“I’m sorry for overreacting,” Blair muttered, finally sitting down in the chair beside her teacher.

“You had every right to overreact,” Indigo replied, bluntly, “and you are well within your right not to trust me.”

“I trust you,” Blair sighed, “just not as much as I did.”  
Indigo nodded, “Where are Marlow and Royal,” Blair asked, suddenly.

“They went back to their apartment,” Indigo replied, “Calvin, wished for you to stay here for the next week, so he could see how you reacted to the medication the hospital put you on.”

Blair nodded, “Speaking of medicine, you should probably take those,” Indigo replied, getting out of her chair. Blair nodded again following Indigo inside.

Blair hadn’t been in that house in four months! Within those four months, they went to therapy, went back to school, got an internship and a news station they always wanted to work at, and were doing better in general. Blair waved to the receptionist in the therapist's office, as they left the building.

“Blair,” someone yelled, from down the street.

Blair turned to see Royal with his arms waving in the air as he stood on the sidewalk by a nice car, "hey,” Blair yelled back, with a smile.

They made their way down the sidewalk, “Where did you get the car,” Blair asked.

Marlow exited the passager side of the car, leaning against the car with his arms folded on the roof of the vehicle.

“My oldest brother got a new car, and gave this to me,” Marlow asked, “but since I can’t drive…”

“I GOT THE CAR,” Royal screamed in excitement, “I just have to take Marlow to the places he needs to go, but I do that anyway.”

Blair giggled, “come on,” Royal remarked, “we should get home.”

“I thought Indigo wanted us to come over,” Blair commented.

“Calvin texted, him and Indigo, have to go to the capital to meet with the Queens,” Marlow replied as they got in the car, “they’re leaving tonight.”

“Is it because of what happened,” Blair questioned.

“No,” Marlow replied, “Calvin said it was something unrelated. He also said that if it were about what happened with us, we would be going with them, or she would be going without him and with other special operatives.”

“That just gives us more time to party,” Royal yelled, “WINTER BREAK, BABY!”

“You’re not even in college, Royal,” Marlow groaned.

“I still wanna get drunk and a high, man!”

Blair’s laughter carried on into the night, as Royal made edibles and they all drank low-grade alcohol. The night was closing with Blair and Marlow sitting on the fire escape and looking at all the neon lights on their street.

“To think in August, we basically jumped off this fire escape,” Marlow commented.

“Yeah,” Blair chuckled, awkwardly, “You really do care about me, don’t you?”

Marlow looked a Blair shocked, “Of course, I’ve already told you this, I would have risked my life to make sure you were safe.”

“That’s a little concerning,” Blair replied, “It feels nice to know that someone cares about me that much, but I don’t think it’s a good thing that you are willing to die for me. You should hold yourself in higher regard.”

“You know what I am saying, right,” Marlow muttered while dipping his head between his legs as his beer bottle resting against his forehead.

“Yeah, you love me,” Blair said bluntly, “and I’m going, to be honest, I don’t know how to feel about that.”

Marlow sighed, “I’m not saying I don’t have any sort of feelings for you, the fact that you pulled me out of my demon Valkyrie state is proof of that,” Blair explained, “but I don’t wanna say that I share the same feelings if I don’t feel the same.”

“Understandable,” Marlow sighed leaning back against the building wall, “I guess I’ll be waiting.”

Blair rolled their eyes in a playful way, before laying their head on his shoulder, “that’s also concerning.”

Marlow chuckled, as they sat in quaintness, with unspoken mutual feelings towards each other. Blair had always wanted an interesting life, and boy, they got that during a week in August. Granted the event wasn’t the interesting life Blair really wanted, but Blair was alive, their friends were alive, and to the non-binary 19-year-old that’s all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT IS FINISHED! JESUS CHRIST!  
> I started this story in October of 2020 and now it's January of 2021 and this is finished!  
> My first story where Indigo and Calvin are not the main focus to extreme levels!   
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
